La Dolce Vegan: Vegan Livin' Made Easy Review

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(More customer reviews)Le Dolce Vegan, the third cookbook by Sarah Kramer is a true joy. I have over three hundred cookbooks, but Sarah's blow my socks off. They're also some of the ones I use the most, even when cooking for non-vegans. Why?
Her books are not only full of the most delicious, mouthwatering recipes ever, but they are also full of cook cooking tips, nifty crafts, pop culture, and humor. This and the two preceding books she did with Tanya Bernard I have read though and through before I ever cooked out of them, just because they're fun! Sarah is also down to earth, and her books aren't preachy like other vegan books. No guilt trips here. Just good food. How good?
Wow! Not only is this book full of many yummy general recipes, the deserts in this book are to die for. Yum! Sarah also tells us how to make our own faux meat from scratch, so no more having to buy the pricey stuff from the heath food store. 95% of the ingredients used are simple things every grocery store has, and when something even semi-exotic is used, a common counterpart that can be substituted is named. Most of the recipes make 4 small or 2 large helpings, and can be made in 20-30 minutes. I appreciate this so much!
I know that I'm ranting on and on, I just literally can't say enough about Sarah or this book. If you or someone you know is vegan, or even if you want to eat healthier, I can't recommend this book enough! It's just too much fun!


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Eat, Drink & Be Vegan: Everyday Vegan Recipes Worth Celebrating Review

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(More customer reviews)I should have written a review of this cookbook long ago, but I finally just put my fork down (literally) after eating another one of ED&BV's fabulous recipes and said, "People must know how great this cookbook is!" And here I am :)
What did I just finish? The White Bean, Walnut, and Spinach Phyllo Rolls with the Traditional Cranberry Sauce. This is the second time I have made it. It is unbelievable. So easy, but so elegant and delicious. That's how I characterize a lot of Dreena's recipes - easy, elegant, delicious. This book is full of uncomplicated recipes with easy to find ingredients (at least, for me - I have a decently stocked Stop & Shop, Shaw's Supermarket, Whole Foods, and health food store within a 15-mile radius). The results have all been spectacular. I've also made (and LOVED) the Olive Oyl Pasta, White Bean & Rosemary Soup with Jumbo Croutons (OMG amazing), Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto with Toasted Almonds and Pine Nuts, Sweet Potato Lentil Chili, Rosemary Cornmeal Polenta Fries, Lentil Veggie Chimichangas with Hide the Lentils Tomato Sauce, Coconut Lime Basmati Rice, Cashew-Ginger Tofu, Thai Chick-Un Pizza, Orange Sesame Tofu, Olive and Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus, Savory French Lentils, Cimmamon Lime Quinoa with Apricots and Almonds, One Wild Chick Soup (honestly, it is as savory and filling as the best chicken and rice soup you would have eaten in your "omni" days), Veggie Tempeh Muffaletta (I think I'm in love...probably the most time-consuming recipe in the book, but it is sooooooo worth it!), Beats a BLT Sandwich! (sure does!), Spicy Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew with Polenta Croutons, Cumin Lime Tofu, Autumn Puree, Smoky Split Pea Soup, Quinoa Chickpea Confetti Casserole, Moroccan-Infused Phyllo Rolls with Balsamic Maple Sauce (mmmmmmm so good!), and Monkey Minestrone. I literally cannot believe how many more of the recipes I want to try. I think I am going to try almost every single one in the book! Dreena makes everything seem so accessible. I'd never made anything with tempeh before (despite began a vegan for a while now!) but with her clear, step by step instructions and sidebars, Dreena makes vegan cooking approachable for everyone, vegans and omnis alike. I can tell you, I have not even come close to using as many recipes in my other vegan cookbooks as I have with ED&BV. Let me be frank... I own several vegan cookbooks...all the major titles by all the major vegan cookbook authors...and this is, by FAR, the best of the bunch. If you own one vegan cookbook, make it ED&BV. You won't regret it!

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In Dreena Burton's first two best-selling vegan cookbooks, The Everyday Vegan and Vive le Vegan!, she offered a dazzling array of healthy, animal-free recipes, many of which were based on her experience as a mother of two young girls she and her husband are raising as vegans. Dreena also maintains an active website (www.everydayvegan.com) and blog (www.vivelevegan.blogspot.com) and has cultivated an enthusiastic audience for her family-oriented, nutritious recipes. In this, her third cookbook, Dreena turns her attention to celebratory food—imaginative, colorful, and delectable vegan fare perfect for all kinds of events, from romantic meals for two to dinner parties to full-on galas. Many of the recipes are kid-friendly, and all are appropriate for everyday meals as well.

The book includes 125 recipes and sixteen full-color photographs, as well as meal plans, cooking notes, and advice on vegan wines and beers. Recipes include Lentil & Veggie Chimichangas, Thai Chick-Un Pizza, White Bean Soup with Basil & Croutons, Tomato Dill Lentil Soup, Olive & Sundried Tomato Hummus, "Creamy" Cashew Dip with Fruit, Crêpes with Maple Butter Cream, 5-Star Ice "Cream" Sandwiches, and Hemp-anola (Dreena's take on granola).

Come celebrate with Dreena and impress your guests with these tempting animal-free recipes.

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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Cooking Review

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(More customer reviews)I love the style of cooking in this book: relatively simple recipes, most often with everyday ingredients; well written instructions; and a focus on whole foods (including the use of whole grain flours and unrefined sweeteners whenever possible). It is packed with recipes, 240 to be exact, so there options for new vegans (how to use tofu and seitan, for example), and vegan veterans who want wheat and soy-free recipes that creatively incorporate fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains. That said those who are coming from fast food territory will still be welcomed by the author with some shortcut recipes for things like Tofu Dog Bites.
I have reviewed The Complete Idiot's Guide to Juicing (thumbs up) and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Total Nutrition (a disappointment), so I am well aware of the cutesy "Idiot's" format that some may love, some may feel neutral about, and some may be irritated by. At this point, I am pretty neutral, and able to look into the actual substance of the book.
The book starts with an informational section that is about 25 pages long, but it feels fairly complete for its purpose. Beverly touches on health needs and then dives into explaining milk and meat alternatives. Later in the cookbook is a chapter that is dedicated to making your own cheese and dairy alternatives.
Since I am already dairy-free, I chose to sample a recipe that also had a meat substitute vibe, the Savory Mushroom Sausages. The only changes I made were to cut the maple syrup in half (down to 1 ½ teaspoons) and increase the salt by ¼ teaspoon, as we aren't fans of the sweet flavor that many breakfast sausages have. They were awesome! I actually preferred the leftovers, after chilling overnight, as it really gave the various flavors time to meld. This was a soy-free and optional gluten-free recipe too!
I bake my own granola, so I was excited to trial the Vanilla Nut Granola recipe. It used a very different mix of spices, extracts, nuts, and seeds from my standard recipe. I really enjoyed the subtle sweetness and the very nutty tasting blend. All of Beverly's recipes are very easy to customize, so on the next go there are a few personal touches I will introduce. I think swapping the maple syrup for agave (which is half the price in my neck of the woods), and leaving out the pecans (which tended to burn easily) would make it an ideal blend for my household, adding just a slight touch of additional sweetness. Also, she ingeniously uses a blend of oil and water to keep the granola low fat, but we aren't calorie counters around here, so I will probably use all oil next time for a firmer crunch.
I loved the Carrot-Cashew Butter, a simple and thick spread with a light natural sweetness from the two main ingredients. I was also smitten by the Low Fat Miso Ginger Dressing. It was only my second time using miso, and the experience prior left me with a bad taste in my mouth, literally, but Beverly nailed it in the sweet, ginger-rich condiment.
This is definitely a cookbook that will get some mileage in my kitchen. Recipes that are next up on my list include the Maple Pecan Oatmeal Scones (made with rolled oats!), the Thai Peanut Sauce (I can never get enough of that stuff), the Raw Cheddar Cheese Spread (soy-free), the Raw ABC Nut Milk, the Red Lentil Bologneses (I am on a lentil kick), and the Blueberry Corncakes (a twist on traditional pancakes). But don't stop with my selections, there really are tons of different recipes to pick from in this one, from "Decadent Desserts" to "Marvelous Main Dishes."

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